Experience of a Clairvoyant

Have you ever experienced clairvoyance? Or have you ever come across anyone having clairvoyance? Let’s peep into a clairvoyance experienced by someone whom I am closely bonded to 😁.

Clairvoyance a.k.a Sixth sense is the ability to acquire information about something, whether it be a person, object, location or physical event through extra sensory perception (credits- Wiki). It sounds interesting right? Of course, it may sound interesting to listen to these so called “supernatural” experiences. But, what if you are living with a clairvoyant? And that too if it is your mother....let’s now look back to n incident happened 11 years ago..

It happened on a fine afternoon of 30 September 2009. I was relaxing at home after by Engineering graduation and was in the middle of job hunting process. My Dad is a doctor and he goes to hospital in mornings and come back by night after his hectic schedule. My sister was then undergoing her house surgency at Kochi. Only me and my mother used to be at home whole day during week days.

That day, afternoon, after finishing our lunch and household chores around 2.30 pm, me and my mom went to sleep in her room. I love to sleep during noon then and even now and that too for long hours. I fell asleep soon and dived into deep sleep. My mom was reading some magazine, and I didn’t know when she fell asleep.  After an hour, I woke up hearing some murmuring sounds. When I opened my eyes, my mom was not next to me, but still I could hear that sound and it was hers. I looked around and found her lying on the floor. I lifted her up and sprinkled some water on her face. Still, she was sweating and was trying to convey something. Her lips were moving, but no words came out and I felt she was nervous or anxious about something. I made her drink some water and asked her to calm down.

Some moments flew, and she came back to normal mode. I asked her what happened and what she murmured. She then explained that she  saw a dream in which boat holding around a lot of people sank in a lake, and people were drowning in water. She added that she viewed some rescue operations as well, wherein dead bodies are carried to the shores of the lake. People were trying to help some passengers, including small kids. My mom was seen really tensed after explaining this to me and she got mood off. All this happened around 3-3.30p.m. I sat with her for some more time and tried my best to comfort her.

Around 4.30 p.m, I went to the kitchen to make tea, and my mom was still lying down in the bed. I made tea and brought it all way to the room. While we were having our tea, a call came in my mom’s phone, and it was my Sister from Kochi. Mom attended the call and she kept silent for some time. Suddenly, the tea cup fell down from her hand and it got broken into pieces. I asked her what happened and she looked staggered. She was not telling me anything, and I felt angry and tensed at the same time. I could still her my sister’s voice over the phone and hence, I took the phone from her  and asked my sister what she told to mom.

After hearing my sisters side, I too felt staggered. Because she conveyed a news, that happened few minutes ago, and it was the “ Thattekad boat tragedy” news. She asked me to switch on the TV and watch the news channel. I put her call on hold, ran to the dining room and switched the TV On. My mom also came following me and we both were shocked to see the news. I kept on changing the channels, and all channels broadcasted the same news. I then talked to my sister what all happened an hour ago and she also felt surprised to hear my mom’s dream.

To your information, Thekkady boat tragedy (Click here to know more) happened when a double decker boat, named Jalakanyaka got capsized in Thekady lake on 30 September 2009 , around 5pm. About an hour ago, my mom visualised the incident in her dream. The boat carried 82 tourists, out of which 45 of them died on spot. It was one of the biggest boat tragedies that ever happened in Kerala.

That day, when my dad returned from home after work, me and my mom were waiting at the verandah. As soon as my dad parked his car, he asked us whether we heard about the Thattekkad news. I then told him, it was already captured through my mom’s antenna and we laughed for sometime. Jokes apart, my mom felt very disturbed for few more days and it took some time for her to get out of that.

This is one among the hundreds of clairvoyance experiences of my mom. This was earlier led by a lot of famous happenings, like Kalluvathickal liquor tragedy, Earth quakes, presence of flying saucer, death of our close relatives etc. Me, my Dad and my Sis used to make fun of my mom stating there is some antenna fitted in her brain that makes her capture all these things in her dream.

Even now, if she describes any clairvoyance, I used to say, no need of explanation, that will be the headlines of the next days newspaper. And that will surely be printed in the subsequent edition of paper.

A 1950 Singapore espousal - Part 3 (Final part)

S S Rajula (Rajula), was a sealiner by British India steam Navigation company, which was built in 1926 at Glasgow, to carry passengers and goods from Madras to Singapore touching the ports of Negapattanam (Nagapattanam),Penang and Port Klang.

All the passengers were asked to queue for their turn and had to catch a ladder to climb up, taking help from the ship’s crew. Devu and her friends eagerly waited for their turn and finally boarded Rajula. The view which awaited Devu was priceless. Rajula was alluring and she carried 1800 passengers, wherein 1200 resided on the deck and 600 resided on the higher classes or cabins. It was first ever experience for Devu, and everything she saw made her excited. A higher class had been booked for Devu by her brother and hence, she and her friends got settled in their cabins.

The voyage took 15 long days and there were not much entertainments for the passengers. A man used to go around to announce the meal time by ringing a bell and everybody marched to the dining room. All the food served were a mix of western and Indian cuisine. There were not much entertainments and most of the time everyone sat idle. During some random evenings ,few games or activities were arranged by the ships crew. Since, Devu was travelling for the first time, she experienced extreme sea sickness during the initial days and most of the time she laid down in the cabin.

As the days passed by, Devu got adjusted to the new surroundings and she started relishing the novelty of sea travel. At times, Devu and her friends used to visit the deck and spend some time exploring the beauty of the sea. They could view small fishing boats moving far away. Sometimes they did chit-chats with the fellow passengers in the deck. Finally, by the end of that fortnight, on a beautiful and warm evening, Rajula reached the port of Singapore. While the sun was about to hide in the waves, an entirely new life was waiting for Devu in the shores of Singapore.

There were some maintenance activities happening at the port of Singapore and hence the ship could not anchor at the port. The only alternative for the passengers to get down were by using a Jacob’s ladder (Jacobs ladder) which consisted of vertical ropes supporting horizontal, round rungs. Passengers were required to go down this ladder to reach small individual small boats, which in turn carried  20 to 30 people at a time. Rajula, was 49 feet high (15m) and one has to climb down this much height to reach the boat below. Many fellow passengers started going down the ladder steps. Seeing this terrific view, Devu felt really frightened. However, there were no other options for her to reach down.

Devu finally managed to descend the ladder and reached the boat which rested below. Devu was then preceded by her friends. The boat carried them along with other passengers to the port. Their luggages were loaded at the port by another set of boats and everyone collected their luggages and got ready to depart. Devu's brother, Kuttan and his wife were waiting at the port to receive her. Devu felt happy to see her brother, but her eyes were searching at each and every corner of the port, to see her hero. Unfortunately, she could not find him anywhere and felt really sad.

She waved adieu to her friends and travelled to Kuttans home via a taxi, which was one of the major mode of transport in Singapore that time. Devu was very much excited to travel in a taxi for the first time in her life. Many curiousities  like tricycles, Singapore streets, local Tamil shops and a lot more things awaited to surprise her in Singapore. They finally reached Kuttan’s home. Devu’s younger sister, who got married and settled in Singapore were waiting at Kuttan’s home to meet Devu. During dinner time, Kuttan informed that all the wedding preparations were done and wedding date is fixed after two weeks. Those times, girls never had any courage to talk to the elderly, and she only nodded her head for all the info conveyed by her brother. Even though, she wanted to ask about when she can meet Sankar, she kept silent.

Two days passed by, and Devu slowly got adjusted to the new environment. One evening, while she was walking in front of Kuttan’s home, someone knocked at the gate. She turned around and surprised to see Sankar. She felt shy and happy at the same time to see her man after 10 long years. Sankar was received by her family and they both were allowed to talk for sometime. They discussed about the wedding ceremony and informed that he purchased wedding Saree from local Tamil shops in Singapore. Sankar also added that he took a house for rent and they both can move to that home after wedding.

Thus, by the end of 1950, the long-awaited day of Devu and Sankar arrived. The wedding ceremony was arranged at the Singapore city council hall by her brother. It was a small function which included nearly 50 people. Kuttan, his wife, devus younger sister, her family and some friends of Kuttan represented the bride’s party. From Sankar’s side, there were few of his friends and colleagues in Singapore.

Devu wore a beautiful saree, with golden borders, and Sankar was in a traditional Kerala attire. The wedding ceremony started with Sankar tying the golden knot to Devu (called thalikettu), following which, they exchanged flower garlands. The ceremony finished off by Sankar offering the saree (Pudava) to Devu and thereafter, they seeked blessings of her brother, Kuttan. Following the ceremony, there held a grand Kerala feast (Sadya) in the lunch hall. The wedding ceremony was followed by a reception in the evening. After the reception, Sankar and Devu waved goodbye to their friends and family and departed to their new home.

Thus, they started their journey of life and lived happily ever after, cherishing each and every moment of their life.

And here ends my story as well.


Disclaimer: The characters and events depicted in my story are not “fictitious”, they are truly based on real people.

This story is based on the life of my paternal grandparents. The female protagonist in my story, Devu is my grandmother, in real life known as “Sankariyamma”and the male protagonist Sankar is my grandfather, known by the name “Sankara Pillai”. Elder brother Kuttan was my father’s uncle, in real life known as Kuttan Nair. Sankariyamma and Sankara Pillai were blessed with two children, elder son, Suresh and younger one, Ravindranath.

As their names exhibited unity, so were they in actual life. They lived together happily for a long span of 40 years until my grandfather, Sankarapillai passed away in 1990 following a massive heart attack. Sankariyamma passed away in 2008 due to old age related ailments.

                            Me and my sister with my grandmother (an old pic)

I have faded memories of these stories told by my grandmother (Ammooma). Hence I took help from my parents and relatives. I really feel thankful to my Dad, my Mom, my Sister and two Aunt’s ( Radha Appachi & Nirmala appachi) for sharing all your memories which helped me out to narrate this wonderful story.

A 1950 Singapore espousal- Part 2

The Second World War continued for few more years. Years passed by and the far-off land of Singapore was invaded by Japan (Fall of Singapore) in 1942. About 80,000 British, Indian and Australian troops became prisoners of war. It is remarked as the worst disaster in the British Military history. There were casualties everywhere, killing nearly 8500 people.

The natives of Singapore faced challenges of building their lives, scarcity of resources and restricted freedom. There existed a climate of distrust and grief all over the country. Concurrently, in a small region of Singapore, someone’s mind was stuck in the memories of a village beauty. That was none other than our hero, Sankar. Due to the war, he could hardly meet Kuttan(Devu’s brother), even though they both resided in the same region. Both Kuttan and Sankar thought Devu might have got married and settled down by that time.

After a long period of six years and one day, Second World War came to an end on 2nd September, 1945. Singapore also returned from Japanese to British control in 1945. In India, the epilogue announcement was made via radio, so that it could reach people all over the country. This radio announcement became a life saver for Devu and her family members. Everyone at Devu’s family felt relieved that the war got over.  After a few days, the Indian government had decided to announce the names of Indians who were still alive in various parts of the world. Everyone eagerly waited for hearing those two names, Kuttan and Sankar.

Days and weeks passed by, and one fine day, Kuttan’s name was announced in the radio and Devu’s family felt happy. They patiently waited to hear Sankar’s name, but felt dejected. Devu felt depressed and refused to eat or drink that day. She thought there is no meaning for her life and wasted 6 long years. But to everyone’s surprise, the very next day, Sankar’s name was announced in the radio. It was a day of  celebration at Devu’s home. After few days, a telegram arrived in Devu’s name, stating both Kuttan and Sankar were fine at Singapore. But, the telegram also stated normal travels were not resumed and would take some time for them to return back to Kerala.

By1947, India got independence and the long 200 years of British rule came to an end. One more year passed by and  by 1948 beginning, Kuttan returned back to Kerala. Everyone eagerly awaited Sankar’s arrival as well, but he couldn’t make it out. After the war, scenarios in Singapore have changed and council did not approve leave for their employees. Kuttan insisted Devu to travel back to Singapore along with him, but Devu felt uncomfortable with that decision, since she was afraid to travel to a totally new place and get married there without the presence of her family.

After Kuttan’s travel to India, a state of emergency was declared in Singapore in Feb 1948, following a violence by Malayan Communist Party and as a result, a travel restriction commenced between Singapore and India. This in turn played a blocker for Sankar’s departure.

Meanwhile, Devu’s family decided to proceed with wedding of her two younger sisters. Both the marriages happened on the same day and it was a big celebration for the family. Among the two, one got settled down in Kerala, while another one sailed to Singapore with her spouse. Kuttan also got married in the meantime and returned to Singapore with his wife. Devu still waited patiently, for her big day to arrive. Now, Devu and Sankar started writing letters and were in constant contact with each other through these letters.

Towards the end of 1949, a telegram arrived at Mavelikara stating, emergency has been lifted and Sankar will not get leave at any cost. He requested Devu to traverse to Singapore along with his friends, who would be travelling back to Singapore from Kerala after their vacation. The wedding arrangements were made by her brother Kuttan and family at Singapore, and everyone waited for Devu’s arrival.  Devu, was a typical village girl of that time and she felt embarassed to travel this much distance all alone. It was a wait of long 10 years, and hence everyone in Devu’s family insisted her to travel soon. All her luggages were packed in wooden boxes and she got ready for her departure.

The only means of transportation to Singapore was a sealiner, S S Rajula which took passengers all the way from Madras to Singapore. Hence, Devu had to travel from Mavelikara to Madras to start her on-sea journey. Unlike the modern times, no cars or flights had been in use, and hence they had to catch that old steam engine train to reach Madras. Her eldest brother, Veluktty was servicing Indian Army at Madras and this made things easier for her family. Velukutty decided to accompany Devu till Madras.

On one sunny day, Devu bid farewell to her family, with a set of mixed emotions, feeling heavy hearted to leave the home where she has been born and bought up and felt relaxed to finally meet the man of her life. She and her brother met Sankar’s friends at the station and started the journey. The friends were a man, Ram and his wife, Janaki and another lady, Mariam. The two ladies, named Janaki and Mariam, befriended Devu. The entire journey to Madras took two whole days. The very next day, train reached Quilon station(Kollam) and stopped there a few minutes for watering.

There waited a group of people at the station to meet Devu, and they were none other than Sankar’s family. They were happy to meet and greet their “would-be daughter in law”. As per the old Hindu traditions, groom’s family had a custom of offering gold ornaments to the bride. Hence, they bought few bangles, chains and rings for Devu. But, Sankar’s friends suggested Devu to take fewer ornaments since there were restrictions to carry the quantity of gold in the ship. Hence, she took only the bangles, received their blessings and continued her journey.

Finally, by the end of second day, train reached Madras station. Devu, her brother and Sankar’s friends got down at the station. The port was bit far away from the station, and they hired a bullock cart to reach the port. All their luggages packed in the wooden boxes had been shifted to the cart and they started off to the port enjoying the beauty of Madras. After few hours, the bullock cart arrived at the port and everyone got down. It was till this point, her brother could accompany devu. Devu bid adieu to her brother, with tears rolling down her cheeks. Even though, Devu felt comfortable in her new group of friends, she felt sad to leave her brother.

Everyone walked towards the ship. A huge and beautiful sea liner, S S Rajula was anchored at the wharve. It seemed like Rajula awaited devu to take her towards the dream man of her life, by sailing long 15 days on sea. Devu, was seeing such a marvellous view for the first time in her life and felt excited and fearful at the same time.

A 1950 Singapore espousal- part 1

Today I’m going to narrate a story that happened during the Second World War time. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready to start the ride in my time machine, that would take you back to 70 years.

The story happened during 1938 in a small, beautiful village (now a town) of Kerala, Mavelikara. Every story needs a hero/heroine right ? For the time being, let's name my heroine as "Devu". Devu was the 6th child to her parents ,who was accompanied by 9 siblings (4 sisters (3 younger and 1elder) and 5 brothers). She was a graceful, charming young lady who was in her early 20's and owned that “ready to get married” tag like all other girls of that era. Her elder sister was already married and succeedingly, Devu was the next one in the queue of four younger sisters. This persuaded her family to search a suitable groom for Devu.

Her elder brother (Kuttan) was working in Singapore that time, employed in the 'British Army’s Civilian wing”. Hence, boys settled in Singapore were given a remarkable preference by her family. It was during this time, an elegant and handsome young man's proposal arrived from the land of beautiful back waters of kerala- Ashtamudi. Yes, he is the hero of my story. Let’s name him Sankar.

 As per the Hindu traditions, horoscope match was a pre-requisite for all the weddings. Accordingly, both families carried out horoscope match and was pleased to proceed further. In the following week, the hero of Ashtamudi, Sankar came with his relatives for the 'bride seeing ceremony' and both the families were interested to know each other. Unlike the modern times, the “future husband and wife” never had any privilege for casual talks or could hardly see each other. But, Devu and sankar were lucky enough to have a glance at each other and soon after, wedding bells rang loudly for Devu and Sankar.

A small engagement ceremony (Vakkurappu) was held at devu’s home in the subsequent week. Ring exchanges were held seldom and hence, grooms never came for those engagement ceremonies. Sankar arrived for a short leave, and therefore he returned back to Singapore to rejoin his job without participating in the engagement. The family did not fix the wedding date and waited for Sankar’s update from Singapore. Henceforth, everyone waited for the letter or telegram (As you may know, there were no telephones or other communication means during that time) from Sankar so that both families could plan ahead for the betrothal. Devu’s brother (Kuttan) also returned back within few days, hoping to come back soon for her wedding.

Life can’t always be smooth as we expect right? Like the twist in the movies, there waited a twist in Devu’s life as well. After Sankar’s return to Singapore, there emerged a widespread news regarding the commencement of the Second World War. It was not just a fake news and the World War 2 began soon (1939). As I stated above, there were no communication means other than letters or telegrams and all these were put on hold due to the war. Only hope for the family were the daily radio announcements. Everyday, Devu and her family patiently waited for the radio announcements to know about “where-abouts” of Kuttan and Sankar. But, days and weeks passed by and everyone starting losing hope, except Devu.

Things were getting tough for a girl like Devu, having 3 younger sisters and brothers waiting to be in the shoes of brides and grooms. Sankar’s family also had no clues about him. In fact, no one was sure whether he was alive or not. Hence, Devu’s family forced her to forget about Sankar and get ready for another marriage.

Then came another handsome, young man from the district of Kanyakumari. He and his family had already decided to proceed with Devu’s alliance and they even bought a ring to be put on Devu’s hand. But, somehow things didn’t work out and that proposal got cancelled. After this bride seeing ceremony, Devu decided not to be bludgeoned into another proposal until and unless she knows any information about Sankar. The entire family was not happy with Devu’s decision and they went on convincing her. But, she did not give ear to anyone’s words and firmly sticked on to her stand. At last, her family had to surrender to Devu’s decision and decided to get her sisters married.

The next younger sister in the waiting list got married soon. She bid farewell to everyone at Devu’s family and left to her husband’s home. While everyone was busy with the wedding ceremonies, Devu was bit disturbed thinking about Sankar’s situation in Singapore. Devu was left all alone at home for weeks and months, thinking about Sankar day and night. And the war went on, like a blood thirsty monster, taking lives of thousands of people from all over the world, including Indians and many Keralites as well.


To be continued.....